


Boots and Paintball Guns

by ltabor30



Category: The Rookie (TV 2018)
Genre: Drama, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-09
Updated: 2019-12-07
Packaged: 2020-01-07 11:51:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18410075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ltabor30/pseuds/ltabor30
Summary: Officer Tim Bradford was a tough as nails Training Officer while his wife was a young rookie, who was only two years out from the academy. Can they juggle careers and marriage while trying to keep the integrity and respect of their jobs in tact or will their personal lives get in the way?





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone!!! I'm new to this website; all of my other works can be found on fanfiction.net under LDT5413. I'm really excited to put my work on other websites for the world to see. I absolutely love The Rookie and I'm getting back in to the swing of writing, so I figured I would try a different site and see how it went. Enjoy my reader friends!!

Lucy Chen groaned and snuggled back into the warm blankets, trying to get the last few minutes of sleep she could before her shift at the station started. She smiled as she felt a large hand move up her side and around her front to pull her closer. Her fingers trailed down his arm and across his hand to the thin silver band wrapped around his ring finger. She bit her lip, wondering briefly if they were foolish, but shook her head and knew that they weren’t, despite how much her career might be affected. 

She breathed in quickly as she felt lips on the back of her neck, slowly moving around to suck at her pulse point. She bit her lip before turning around slowly, not wanting to stop him, but knowing that she had to so they wouldn’t be late. “We really need to get up.”

Her companion rolled his eyes before sitting up and bringing her up with him, “Aren’t I supposed to be the one giving orders?”  
Lucy smirked before shaking her head, “Happy wife happy life right?”

He rolled over until he was back on top of her, creating a cage with his arms and legs, “I think that’s how it’s supposed to go.”

She sighed and ran her hands up his back and around to cup his cheek, “Remember that at the end of the day when you’re not busy barking out orders, alright?”

A slow nod was her response before she was caught up in his eyes and his soft lips again, “Don’t worry Boot, I’ll remember.” 

An hour later Lucy Chen was shoving her diamond ring under her uniform shirt, hoping the silver chain wouldn’t break during the day. She breathed in deep before exiting the locker room and slammed into her TO Tim Bradford. His deep voice brought back memories that she tried to shake, at least during her shift, “Easy Boot, where’s the fire?”

Lucy smirked before shaking her head, “I just don’t want to be late is all, sir.”  
Tim rose an eyebrow at her answer and nodded before motioning for them to go to the bull pen for roll call. He lagged behind to admire her from behind until a fellow officer nudged his shoulder. He glanced over and raised an eyebrow at Angela Lopez before shrugging his shoulders. “What?”

Lopez smirked before waving, “Oh nothing, just know that I have a bet going that involves you and Chen.”

Tim narrowed his eyes and came to his full height and growled lowly, “What is it and who’s behind it?”

Lopez’s eyes widened as she raised her hands in surrender, “Easy Bradford. Nothing bad, just placing bets on how long it will take for you to ask her out. I’ve got by the end of the year because she’ll have not been a rookie for a couple of years by then; West has half that time because he thinks you can’t control yourself, and Talia and Nolan both says it won’t happen because you have something they think is respect for the job.” 

He coughed, suddenly feeling warm, yanking nervously on the silver chain around his neck, “Well that’s just stupid. I don’t date co-workers anymore, let alone the one I’m partnered with.” 

Lopez eyed Bradford skeptically before slowly nodding. She thought back to the last few months and came to a few conclusions. One, Bradford seemed a lot happier on the job, and two, he kept to himself a lot more off shift then what he had in the past. Come to think of it, he acted just like he did when he was married before. She watched him walk away into the conference room and watched as he took a seat behind Chen and West, wondering when he had moved his seat up that far. She shook her head and marched into the room, yanking the seat out from under the table and sunk down, waiting for Sergeant Grey to come through the door. 

After Sergeant Grey finished the briefing, Tim took a deep breath, trying to settle his nerves before making his way to the front of the room. He hated the way his voice shook, but reminded himself that he had been here once before, “Sir, when you have time I need to have a word with you.”

Sergeant Grey nodded before glancing down at his schedule quickly, “I can give you about five minutes, unless you need more time.”

Tim’s eyes widened slightly, but nodded anyway, wanting to get everything in the open, “I can’t work with Chen anymore sir,” he continued on quickly when the Sergeant began to scowl, “We’re involved.”

Sergeant Grey sighed and sat down in his chair before sliding his hand down his face slowly, “How long, Bradford?”

Debating on how to answer he gave a slight pause before meeting his boss’s eyes, “Not long, it became serious enough to bring it to your attention just a few days ago.”

Sergeant Grey leaned back in his chair and eyed one of his best officers, trying to pinpoint what the young officer meant by that. He had a gut feeling there was more to things than what Bradford had mentioned. He sighed again and rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on, “Alright, if it was any other day I’d lecture you on how you should have come to me sooner, but right now I’m just going to give you the paperwork you need and send you on your way.”

Bradford gave a quick sigh of relief as he nodded; the sergeant could and would lecture and yell when he saw just exactly how involved him and Lucy were, when he read through the forms. He was just out the door when Grey’s voice stopped him, “You’ll have to work with her today, just because I don’t have time to switch anyone around. Can you handle that?”

He nodded quickly before hoping and praying that nothing too dangerous came their way, because if it did, he knew he wouldn’t act on the instincts off a cop. He sighed and made his way to the edge of the garage where the rookies and other T.O’s were. He waited behind West, until he felt Lopez at his side. He turned towards her and rolled his eyes, “What?”

Lopez smirked and shook her head, “Nothing, just wondering what has you so irritated and grouchy. Well, more irritated and grouchy than normal.”

“Nothing, just tired Lopez.”

She shook her head, “That’s an excuse to let loose this weekend, what do you say?” 

Bradford shook his and thought of the paintball arena him and Lucy were going to visit; of the large couch and TV with their shows ready to be watched queued up. He shook his head and grinned, “I’ve got plans with my couch and TV, I want a nice quiet weekend at home.”

Lopez huffed before turning to tell West to get in the car, until she saw Lucy grab her bag. She grinned, “Hey Chen, what do you say about coming out with me this weekend for drinks?”

Lucy stopped short and turned to the older woman with wide eyes. She had no idea what she was up to, so she chose to avoid her for now, “Sorry, I’ve got plans. I have a TV that’s calling my name. I’ve got to catch up on Grey’s Anatomy and The Resident.” 

Lopez eyed Lucy quickly before turning back to Bradford who had a frown on his face. She quickly glanced between them and her grin grew into a self-satisfying smirk. She motioned for West to follow her towards their car before giving everyone a quick goodbye. As she slid into the drivers seat, she held out her hand to West and wiggled her fingers, “I won the bet, hand it over.”

West shook his head and laughed, “Nu-uh not until there is solid proof of them being together,” he paused and shook his head again, “and besides what makes you think they he finally got the nerve up to ask her out?”

Lopez gunned the ignition and rolled her eyes, “They both have the same plans and when Chen mentioned having to catch up on Grey’s Anatomy, the look of horror on Bradford’s face was enough to give it away.”

“I still need proof before I’m handing over my money to you. Like say a picture of them holding hands or something.”

Lopez groaned before pulling out of the garage and into the street, “I’m not going to be waving my phone around in their faces trying to catch them in the middle of something. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see if they say anything or not.”

The two officers in question was just getting into their car when Bradford turned to Lucy with a small grin, “Grey’s Anatomy huh? Please tell me you’re not going to make me watch that soap opera of a show.”

Lucy grinned and shrugged, “I don’t know, depends on what other shows you suggest we watch.”

Bradford smirked and gunned the engine, “We could always watch COPS or Live PD.”

Lucy narrowed her eyes and shook her head, “I get enough of cops and Live PD in my own life thank you very much.”

“Alright, I guess Grey’s it is then.”

Lucy smirked before shrugging her shoulders, “Happy wife, happy life remember?”

Bradford thought back to earlier in the morning and how he had woken up and grinned. Happy wife, happy life indeed. He nodded quickly before trying to get into police mode so he could enjoy his two day weekend with Lucy, knowing that come next week all hell would break loose.


	2. Chapter Two

Lucy sighed as she fingered her small nameplate on her uniform. She wondered briefly how long it would take to get her new one. When she thought of how she had to go about getting it, she cringed, knowing that there would be lectures from both her Sergeant and Watch Commander. She blew out a breath and buttoned up her uniform top, making sure her ring was tucked securely underneath. She made her way towards the conference room, running into Officer West on her way.

He grinned, walking along with her, “Morning Lucy. Ready to get this week started?”

She grimaced and slowly shook her head, “No. I want to just go back to bed and rewind the last forty-eight hours.” 

He smirked, “That good of a weekend huh?”

“You have no idea.”

Jackson eyed her quickly before holding the door open for her to walk through, “So what did you end up doing?”

Lucy bit back the obvious answer as Tim’s heated gaze and body came to mind. Instead she shrugged casually and stepped into the conference room, “Just caught up on all my shows and ate some Chinese food.”

Jackson sighed, hoping to get more information than that. He was about to ask if she had seen anyone from work during the weekend, but was cut short by Sergeant Grey entering the room. As the officers sat down to begin roll call, Jackson eyed the room quickly and noticed the Commander was there as well. Sighing he knew they would be in roll call a bit longer than usual. 

Lucy sighed and sunk down in her seat as roll call began, her mind wondering to the last two days with Tim. She jumped when she felt the room staring at her. She felt heat flood her face when Sergeant Grey addressed her, his voice sarcastic as ever, “Am I boring you Officer Chen?”

She shook her head and swallowed roughly, “No Sir,” she bit her lip before trying to salvage what bit of dignity she had left, but knew it was pointless with the excuse she was going to give, “I’m just tired sir.”

She glanced around the room and felt Tim’s worried gaze before she saw it. She faced forward and tried to focus on the rest of roll call. She sighed when she stood to leave, but sat back down quickly when a wave of dizziness hit her. Jackson was by her side almost immediately, “Hey you alright?”

Lucy nodded slowly before trying again, but stopped when the Sergeant bellowed across the room, “Bradford, Chen, West, and Lopez up front for a moment.”

Jackson and Lucy grimaced and moved to the front as everyone else moved to begin their patrol. They all watched as Grey stared down Bradford before addressing the small group, “It’s come to my attention that some of you can no longer work together due to personal reasons, so I’m switching up partners. Bradford you’re with Lopez, Chen with West,” he glanced between Lucy and Jackson, “I trust you two know what you’re doing; it’s been almost two years since your rookie year, so don’t do anything stupid.”

The group nodded quickly before exiting the conference room. As Jackson was grabbing their gear bags, he felt a shadow loom over him. He turned to see Bradford staring him down as he walked closer. Jackson looked around quickly and realized that he had gotten backed into a far corner. 

Tim glanced around quickly before leaning down to growl in Jackson’s ear, “If something happens to Chen while you’re with her I’ll become your personal nightmare. I don’t care who your father is and I don’t care if it would cost me my badge. You understand?”

Jackson nodded quickly before swallowing roughly, “I won’t let anything happen to her.”

There was a beat of silence before Lucy appeared looking a bit pale, but ready to go. “Everything okay here guys?”

Bradford sucked in a breath before turning to Lucy quickly. His eyes took her in one last time before they parted for the day, “Yea just giving Officer West some last minute pointers on how best to patrol with you is all.”

Lucy rolled her eyes before stepping around Bradford, discreetly running her hand along his chest, before turning to Jackson, “Ready to go?”

“Yes. Let’s get the heck out of here.” 

Lucy sighed quickly before turning back to Tim, “Be careful today.”  
Tim sighed softly before nodding, his voice tinged with a gentleness that she wasn't accustomed to while at work, “You too Boot.”

She smiled softly at the endearment before following Jackson to start her shift. She tossed the keys to the shop in Jackson’s general direction before sliding into the passenger seat, massaging her temples when she felt a headache forming. She winced as the driver side door shut with a loud slam. She turned to Jackson with a raised eyebrow, “Ready?”

“Yep. Just trying not to rush my funeral is all.”

Lucy rolled her eyes before leaning back in her seat, “Oh please. We’ve worked together for the last few years. What makes you think I’m going to get you hurt?’’

Jackson realized his slip up and shook his head, “Nothing, I’m just joking; let’s get this show on the road.”

After two arrests, a domestic call, and a false alarm Jackson and Lucy heard the radio crackle to life. ‘Seven Adam Twenty-one, you need to report back to the station immediately.”

Lucy grabbed at the radio to confirm that they got the message and where on their way back. When Lucy walked through the doors of the station she knew that she was the one that the sergeant needed to see. As she made her way up to his office she eyed Tim already in the office. She stopped and breathed in deep, knowing that she and Tim finally had face the music about everything. She opened the door and walked through the door and up to Grey’s desk. She took a deep breath before eyeing her boss carefully, “You wanted to see me sir?”

She jumped slightly when Grey didn’t even answer, deciding just to get to the point, “Yes I wanted to see you Officer Chen, or should I just address you as Officer Bradford from now on?” Grey glanced between the two officers quickly, before continuing, “I want a straight answer from both of you. Not vague answers or general timelines. I want exact dates, because I know you both have them. Are we clear?”

The two officers nodded quickly before taking seats in front of the desk, hoping to get this lecture over quickly. Grey sighed before launching the first question at them, “When did your relationship start?” 

Tim glanced quickly at Lucy and leaned forward, “Around the time Captain Anderson died; a few months after, six months maybe,” he ran a hand through his short hair, “So around the fall of 2019.” 

Grey tossed down his pen and sighed, “Alright. When did you get married?”

Lucy bit her lip and answered quickly, “Only a week or so ago; May 4th. Sir.” 

She cringed when his eyes narrowed before scribbling down a few quick notes. The tension was thick, but she sat up a bit straighter in her chair. She jumped only slightly when Grey tossed down his pen and looked between her and Tim again before addressing them both, “Here is what’s going to happen: you both fill out the proper paperwork for HR, you will not work together unless absolutely necessary, and you will be on probation until I see fit to take you off it. Are we clear?”

They both cringed, but nodded nonetheless. Lucy bit her lip before addressing Grey, hoping not to piss him off much more than they already had, “Who are we going to be partnered with sir?”

The smirk on the sergeants face made Lucy stomach roll, “I would put you with West and Lopez, but that would be too much fun for you both. Chen you’re with Officer Wrigley, Bradford with Officer Galvez, you’ll love him; he’s a talker.”

Tim sighed, but didn’t comment, knowing that he would be in even more trouble if he did. He eyed the clock and realized the shift was almost over. He was hopeful that he could finish off the shift with Lopez before working with someone new. He sighed before turning to Grey with hopeful eyes, “We can finish off our shifts with our current partners right? Because I don’t want to start the last half of my shift with someone new.”

Grey sighed and stood quickly, his voice rising to fill the room, “Quite frankly Officer Bradford, I don’t really care what you want at the moment. You’ll work with whoever I tell you to work with, when I tell you to work with them. Are we beginning to understand each other?”

Tim sat up straight and nodded curtly, “Yes sir.” 

Lucy’s eyes widened, never seeing Tim chastised before. She glanced between Tim and Grey before biting her lip. Her voice soft in the large room, “Sir, this may not be the best time to ask, but when can I get my new nameplate for my uniform?”

Grey gave an irritated sigh before shaking his head, “You can get a new one when your paperwork is processed properly with HR, Bradford. If there isn’t any more questions, get out of my office before I decide to fire the both of you.”

Lucy ignored the small bit of pride she had when the sergeant addressed her as Bradford. She scurried out of the office and made her way to the break room where Jackson was patiently waiting. He stood up when she entered, “Everything okay?”

Lucy sighed and shook her head, “No everything is not okay. I’m assuming starting tomorrow I have to partner with…Wrigley,” she paused to kick the chair gently to take out her frustrations, ‘overly cautious, traffic ticket loving Wrigley.” 

Jackson rose an eyebrow and leaned against the counter, “Okay I think I missed something. Why are you being partnered with Wrigley?” 

Lucy sighed, knowing that everyone in the department would find out about her and Tim in a matter of days, if not hours. She sighed before launching into a brief detail, “The short version is that Tim and I…we’re together. We’ve been together for a while; a few months after Captain Anderson died. It just happened. One day we’re partners and the next we’re friends, and then all of a sudden we’re falling in love without meaning to. Needless to say, I’m on probation until further notice; Tim and I both are.”

As Lucy breathed in deep, Jackson couldn’t help, but think that no one had won the bet. He then smirked because he at least guessed that they were already together. He shook his head and sighed, “So what? You’re being punished by being put with a crappy partner. I’m sure in the next six months you’ll be able to get partnered with someone you actually like. I know you and Tim were good, but that’s out the window now for obvious reasons. Hey maybe you and I could be partnered together when you get off probation or whatever.” 

Lucy sighed and trudged out of the break room, trying to move quickly to the garage so they could finish the long shift, “Fat chance Jackson. I dated my T.O and hid it from the higher ups. We hid it for a long time, it just became serious enough that we had to bring it up to Sergeant Grey.”

Jackson moved to open the car door and rose an eyebrow, “What do you mean by serious enough? You guys are dating and you hid it for a while, so what…”

“We’re married Jackson. Tim and I decided we didn’t want to waste any more time dancing around hypotheticals, what if’s, and wishing for things. We want a house and kids with a dog,” she paused and gave a tiny smile before shrugging,” well Tim wants a cat, says there intelligent and loving creatures and…”

She trailed off and sighed before getting in the car, turning as Jackson slid in and started the engine “Nothing else matters really. I just know that I love him with everything I am and he loves me. We want that crazy, insane, wild ride of a life and we didn’t want to wait. Screw politics of policing and higher brass of the job.” 

Jackson smirked and pulled out of the garage and into the street before glancing briefly at Lucy, “You do know that the whole district is behind you? Hell, half of everyone had bets on when you guys were going to get together. Even Grey had an opinion; he wasn’t in the bets of course, but he knew that you guys would get together eventually. He just hoped that you guys would have done it properly through the paperwork and such. Grey just has to do something as a form of punishment to put down on paper. Nothing too severe really. He’s just partnering you with someone you hate for a while.”

Lucy leaned back in her seat and sighed, knowing the next few months was going to drag by. She felt her ring through her shirt and smiled, knowing that she would go through a dozen officer Wrigley’s if it meant going home to Tim every night. She sighed again, looking forward to getting her probation period over and done with, she just didn’t know that by the end of it, her life wouldn’t be the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh goodness this was so much fun to write. Here's to hoping the next one is just as fun!!!


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!!!! I love getting feedback and comments from you guys. Don't be shy to leave them, I'll try and respond to them as I get them. Happy reading!!

Long days turned into even longer weeks for Lucy and Tim, while on probation. They established a simple routine through the week and left town some weekends to leave the stress of their job behind them. That’s why four months into what Lucy assumed to be a six month or longer probation, she was happy to be reassigned with Jackson. As the crisp fall air bit into Lucy’s hands, she climbed into the cruiser and tossed the keys to Jackson. 

He smirked before starting the car and moving out into the city. He turned to Lucy with a grin, “This is a good way to start a Monday morning.”

Lucy smirked and shook her head agreeing, but silently thinking of Tim and their bodies tangled together in the soft sheets. She groaned softly before being pulled from her thoughts as the radio crackled to life, alerting them of a domestic dispute that had officers requesting backup. Jackson took the call and sped off towards the address they were given. Lucy sighed as they pulled up to the scene, preparing herself for anything. She perked up a bit when Tim and his rookie, Officer Gibson, was already on the scene. Jackson and Lucy were briefed as they walked up the front steps, both being cautious; both knowing that one of the most dangerous calls was the domestic disputes and assaults. 

Tim glanced to Lucy, trying to shake the husband instincts, trying to immerse himself in the job at hand. Before he knocked on the door he made sure everyone was ready to go before banging his knuckles on the door, “LAPD, open up!”

A beat of silence engulfed them before he motioned for Lucy and Jackson to go around the back. He waited until they were in position before trying again. When the house remained silent, Tim kicked the door before moving into the front of the house. Tim and Gibson cleared the bottom of the house, while Lucy and Jackson took the top. After moving through the house Tim heard a loud thump above him and began moving towards the stairs. His heart slammed in his chest when he saw a knife wielding madman running down the short hallway in his direction. He pulled his taser from his belt and aimed, before hovering over him and placing his cuffs on the suspect. His heart jumped in his throat when he saw blood on the weapon. He yanked the suspect up, his voice shaking despite his harsh tone, “Who did you use the weapon on?”

Time seemed to slow down as the suspect smirked, “Lady Cops are so easy, man; she didn’t even see me slip up behind her.”

Tim clenched the front of the suspects shirt before shoving him towards his rookie, “Take him to the shop, I’ll check on Lucy and Jackson.” 

He didn’t even watch Gibson take the suspect down the stairs and out the door before searching the top half of the house. He breathed a little easier when his eyes rested on Lucy, standing, safe and sound. That fact didn’t stop him from rushing towards her in relief. His eyes searched her from head to toe before bringing her towards him. His lips brushed across her forehead as she swayed into his arms weakly. He pulled back and scanned her eyes and panicked when they were closed in pain. He began searching her frantically until he felt a sticky wet spot from the side of her uniform shirt. He turned to West to demand on ambulance, but his hand was already on his radio to dispatch assistance at their location. 

He turned back to Lucy and gently lowered her to the ground. He ran a hand gently over her cheek, noticing the clammy feel of her skin, before shaking her gently, “Hey, don’t close your eyes, baby. You need to stay awake for me,” his hand moved from her cheek to her side to apply pressure to the stab wound, before his voice took on a tone reminiscent of her former training officer, “that’s an order, boot.”

He turned to West and his voice rose again as he addressed the younger officer, “How far out is that ambulance West?”

Jackson knelt down beside his partner and grimaced, “They said about five minutes. How’s she doing?”

Tim shook his head, not wanting to focus on his wife, bleeding on the floor, “She’s unconscious and bleeding, how do you think she’s doing?” he paused to stroke her hair before turning fury filled eyes back to his wife’s partner, “What the hell happened?” 

Jackson blew out a quick breath before launching into a quick rundown, “We took the top half of the house while you and Gibson took the bottom. As we were in the last two rooms he must have snuck up behind us. She said she was fine about a minute before you came through the door.”

“Why didn’t you take him out West?”

“He was running towards you before I could get my hand on my taser. And I was worried about Lucy.”

Tim nodded before sighing in relief as medics came barreling through the door. He moved out of the way to let them work as hee turned to Jackson and stood, “I trust you to take Gibson back to the station, he can at least drive the shop back. Let him process the suspect and fill out the paperwork; I’m going with Lucy.”

He didn’t even look at Jackson as he passed off his cruiser keys to the younger officer. His only focus was on his wife laying on the gurney in front of him. He ran a hand through his short hair as he climbed into the back of the ambulance, taking Lucy’s small hand in his own. The ride to the hospital only lasted five minutes, but it felt like a lifetime to Tim. He watched helplessly as Lucy was whisked away to the ER to be worked on. 

Over the next hour he paced up and down the hallway, waiting, hoping, and praying that Lucy would be okay. He jumped slightly when Lopez appeared beside him. He sighed before leaning against the wall, “What are you doing here Lopez?”

Lopez smirked before leaning against the opposite wall, rolling her eyes, “Isn’t it obvious? We’re friends and friends are there for each other through tough spots. Your wife, my colleague, and my friend is in a hospital being treated for an injury,” Lopez shook her head and smirked again, “Obviously, we’re going to be here. Talia is getting us coffee and Jackson and Nolan are going to be in after they finish up their paperwork.” 

Tim sighed before smiling softly, appreciating the friendship. He shook his head before meeting Lopez’s eyes across the narrow hallway, “Thanks Lopez.” 

Minutes slid into hours and Lopez and Tim was slowly joined by Bishop, Nolan, and West. Tim kept sighing and running a hand through his hair nervously. When results wasn’t happening fast enough for Tim, he went to the nurses station only to be told that she was still being worked on. He was slouched in a small plastic chair as memories engulfed him. He saw a flash of red and it brought him back to when she first really caught his eye. He had been her T.O only a short while and she had weaseled her way into giving him her and the others bar tab for the night. That memory pushed him to others and he sloughed a bit further and welcomed the respite from reality. 

It was at the end of Lucy’s first full week as an LAPD Officer without him watching her every move. He searched the bull pen for her and spied her easily in the room, as he so often did, with West and Nolan talking about something. He breathed out a quick breath and strode over, trying to be confident. He cleared his throat before his voice broke the conversation, “Chen, can I have a word in the break room? You have something missing from a report.”

Lucy’s eyes narrowed and she nodded, telling West and Nolan that she would get back with them later. He watched as she led the way to the break room. He was surprised when she whirled around on him as they stepped into the empty room, her voice rushed as if she needed to explain herself. No doubt a left over habbit from her rookie year, “I double checked that report I had handed you. Three times. What do you really want, Tim?”

He silently kicked the door shut, locking it quickly without her notice. He didn’t want to be interrupted for this. It was probably his one and only chance to get this thing right, “Easy boot, you’re not in trouble.” He took a steady breath as his eyes locked with hers. God she was beautiful. He smiled gently and took a deep breath, steading himself up for rejection, but plowing on through anyway, “Have dinner with me, Lucy.”

He watched as she stopped breathing for a split second before shaking her head gently, “Like a date?”

Tim smiled and shrugged, “You can call it whatever you want, but I do believe two people spending time together on a weekend or a week night when they don’t have to is the definition of a date.”

Lucy grinned before shrugging, “If you’re really serious, actually be serious and do it properly.” 

He felt his jaw drop as she brushed passed him, unlocked the door, and went on about her shift. He shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck, trying desperately to remember how to go about the dating thing. He sighed and remembered that it was Lucy, his former rookie. He huffed and slowly grinned as he realized that he had begun a slow and, dare he say it, romantic, pursuit. 

It started small: Lucy’s favorite chocolates at her seat during roll call, a bouquet of flowers at her desk that she worked at while not on patrol, her favorite lunch already payed for. It came to a romantic crescendo when on a Friday during lunch he talked Lopez into slipping in a thin box and a bag into Lucy’s locker. He ignored the raised eyebrow and smirk, brushing it off as things she wanted him to get for her. He was biting his nail as he slipped the small stock card with a location, date, and time on her desk. He only hoped she would put together the clues. 

Minutes later he watched from across the room as she picked up the card and read it quickly. He smirked slowly as her eyes searched the room. He nodded with a grin as their eyes locked across the room. His heart thumped faster as she smiled gently, nodding as she flipped the card over and slid it in her purse. 

He yanked at his tie in the locker room, trying desperately to loosen it. He smoothed out the tie, finally able to breathe comfortably, and brushed off a piece of fuzz from his black dress shirt. He shut his locker just as the door to the locker room opened. His world stopped when Lucy stepped through the door, looking beautiful in red. He eyed her quickly and smiled when he realized he had got the proper size dress. He rose an eyebrow as Lucy eyed him, smiling as she did.   
Her voice as gentle as ever broke the silence, “Well, I gotta say, you’ve impressed me. You even got the dress size right,” she paused as she eyed the gold and silver bracelet hanging delicately off her wrist, “not to mention you’ve got amazing taste in jewelry.” 

He shrugged a shoulder quickly, “You did say to be serious about it. Besides the jewelry pieces is a late Christmas gift boot.”

Lucy grinned, shaking her head and eyed her dress in the mirror on the back wall, “How did you get my size down?”

“I’m a cop boot. I notice things that you probably don’t think I do.”

Lucy smoothed out the satin dress and eyed the color before turning back to Tim with a raised eyebrow, “Why red? Why not something like black or dark blue?”

Tim knew he would make her melt with his response, so he grinned and came up behind her, trailing a finger down her arm gently, “This color of red looks beautiful on you Lucy. It’s the same shade of red you wore when I looked at you as someone other than my rookie the first time. You handed me your bar tab and you had this little smile on your face when you knew that had I opened it,” he trailed his hand back up her arm and around her neck where a silver necklace lay, “this necklace matches your skin tone, the Saint George on the pendant is supposed to protect police officers, firefighters, and military personnel. I’m not Catholic by any means, but still, most officers wear them around their necks anyway,” he paused as he brought her hand up to eye level and slowly traced the silver bracelet," I drew your name for Secret Santa and I know you wanted the Pandora bracelet from our time together during your rookie year. I thought the boot charm was a bit funny." 

Lucy watched as he yanked out a silver chain and showed her his necklace. Her heart raced faster when she realized it was an exact match to Tim’s. She smiled and realized that the jewelry he had gotten her and the dress all had a special meaning behind it. She grinned as she let Tim lead her out of the locker room and into the busy LA streets. 

That first date led to coffee and breakfast the following Monday. Monday morning coffee began a standing tradition for them after that. The days slid into weeks and weeks morphed into months after that. About a year after their first date, Lucy was surprised to see a stock card on her desk on a random Friday. She slid it open and grinned as a time, location, and date glared back at her in dark ink in the same neat scrawl that used to evaluate her on a daily basis. She wasn’t surprised to see a familiar box with a floor length black dress inside. She grinned as she grabbed her things to get ready for whatever Tim had planned.

Tim grabbed his jacket from his locker and shoved his arms through the sleeves nervously. He looked around and grabbed the envelope he had saved and his old Polaroid camera before slamming the door shut. He shoved everything in his bag and tapped his foot anxiously. He glanced at his watch and glared as Jackson stepped through the door in his civilian clothes. He ran a hand down his shirt and shrugged as Jackson eyed his attire. 

His voice broke the tense silence, “I have a meeting with someone soon about my prospect of becoming sergeant soon.”

Jackson nodded and turned to his locker, “Cool, good luck with that. I have a date so I gotta go or I’d ask more details about the meeting.”

Tim rolled his eyes and shook his head, “Like I’d say anything until it was a done deal boot.”

Jackson smirked and slammed his locker shut, shrugging as he walked past, “Hey, I’m not the one who waited a decade to take the sergeants exam.”

Tim glared and tossed an empty bottle in Jackson’s direction and bit back a retort at the tip of his tongue. He watched as Jackson ducked his toss and laughed as he waved goodnight. Tim shook his head before sighing and slowly made his way to the park not far from his apartment. He slowly pulled into the parking space and moved to grab his bag, suddenly feeling sick. He climbed out of the car and breathed in the evening air before making his way over to the tree in the center of the park. He reached in his bag and dug out the envelopes he had brought. He grinned as reached in again and grabbed clear wire to hang from the tree branches. When the string was how Tim wanted, he began pulling out pictures of him and Lucy from various points in their relationship. A few caught his eye as he was hanging them from the branches: him and Lucy in their police uniforms during her rookie year, Lucy drinking hot chocolate from a Dodgers mug with his Dodger beanie perched on top of her head; him smiling in the background, him reading a book on phycology while Lucy was reading over his shoulder, both of them in front of a Christmas tree with their arms around each other, both cuddled up on the couch watching some romantic movie. Tim grinned as he stepped back to survey his work. His eyes slid over the snippets of his and Lucy relationship hanging from the tree branches and hoped to God he could add a lifetime of memories and pictures in the tree. He was pulled from his thoughts as headlights lit up the tree, illuminating the memories frozen in time. He nervously jammed a hand in his pants pocket and withdrew a small ring box. 

He clutched it in his hands as he turned around to see Lucy walking towards him with a bright smile. He grinned as she slid towards him looking a vision in black. He grinned into the kiss as Lucy ran a smooth hand up his arm and into his short hair. He pulled back and ran a finger down her cheek and tilted her head up so he could see her beautiful eyes. He grinned as she rose an eyebrow at him questioningly, loving to see her a bit confused at times. He slid behind her and pushed her towards the pictures dangling and shining like stars. He watched as her eyes slid over the photos with interest before turning towards him again with a small smile. Her voice adorably confused, “Tim what is this?”

He grinned roguishly before slowly stepping forward, his voice betraying his strong façade, “Lucy, you came barroling into my life when I least expected you. You came in so strong will and ready to prove yourself, impress your superior officers,” he was hovering over her now, his fingertips tracing her jaw, slowly caressing her cheek, “funny thing is boot, not a day in and you impressed me. You had my back from the get go, ready to protect your partner at any time,” he paused and took a deep breath, “after Isobel I said I’d never give myself to someone again, never trust again, never date a fellow officer again. Here I am doing all three because of you. You took the time to show me kindness when I was a pain in your ass. You took the time to get to know me and protect who I am not caring about everyone else. You showed me friendship and partnership when I needed it most.” 

He watched as tears silently slid down her face. He slowly got down on a knee and popped open the box for her to see the ring inside, “Will you marry me, Lucy? Will you be my wife? My partner in this crazy insane wild ride of life?”

He watched as Lucy nodded and said yes through her tears. He slowly stood up to slide the ring on her finger, kissed her deep as she slid her arms up around his neck. He pulled back and rested his forehead against hers, taking in the moment and committing it to his memory. 

 

Tim was pull from his thoughts when a doctor entered the waiting room, eyes scanning the space as if he was looking for someone.   
When the doctor spotted uniformed officers he made his way over to them quickly. His eyes glanced down at his clipboard before clearing his throat, “I assume you’re all here for Lucy Bradford?”

Tim quickly stood, walking closer to the doctor, “Yea, she’s my wife. Is she going to be okay?”

The doctor smiled softly before nodding, “She’ll be just fine. She has a deep stab wound to the side that we had to stitch up and clean. She passed out from blood loss, shock, and a bit of dehydration. She’ll need to take it easy for a couple of weeks, but otherwise Lucy will make a full recovery.” 

Tim nodded before going back to the small group, waiting on any word from Lucy. He smiled at the group before blowing out an easy breath, “She’s going to be fine. We can see her, finally.” 

Tim watched as the group nodded, relieved and happy that Lucy was going to be okay. He let himself breathe a little easy for the first time in hours. He knew that as long as he had Lucy he’d be okay. He just hoped they didn’t have any more close calls. Little did he know, this was only the beginning.


	4. Chapter Four

Lucy moaned as she tried to sit up; the pain in her side exploded like fire. She hissed as she lowered herself back down to the couch, praying that the searing pain would go away. She eyed the clock and grimaced as it flashed half past noon, knowing that Tim would be home soon to check up on her and deliver some take away. She huffed again as she slowly pushed herself up again, grimacing through the pain. Moving down the short hallway towards the bathroom, Lucy swayed on her feet, resting against the wall, waiting for the dizziness to pass. She breathed out as she moved again to the bathroom. She grimaced as she pulled up her t-shirt to reveal a blood soaked bandage. Biting her lip, she grabbed the first aid kit that Tim insisted be in the house, before yanking off the bandages and gauze. She tossed the old ones in the trash bin and put fresh ones over the stitched skin.   
Lucy was lowering herself down to the couch when the front door opened to reveal Tim and his rookie standing nervously behind him. Lucy smiled softly as Tim walked through the door and sat Chinese take away on the coffee table. She hummed as Tim leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead. He pulled back and ran a hand down her cheek, subtly checking that she didn’t have a fever. He grinned and rose an eyebrow, “How ya doing boot?”

Lucy sighed and shook her head, “Not really. I’ve been laying here trying not to move, watching Rom-Coms all day.”

Tim smirked and shook his head, “Is it any better at all?”

Lucy shrugged and tried to hide a grimace, “It’s sore, but I’ll manage, you know me.”

His eyes roamed over her face and noticed the small crinkle in her forehead; the only indication that she was in pain. He jumped when he heard a noise behind him. He eyed his rookie, standing nervously in the doorway. He rose an eyebrow and motioned to the armchair across from the couch, “You can come in Gibson, just don’t touch anything.”

Gibson jumped and nodded as he rushed over to the chair that Tim pointed to, “Yes sir.” 

Tim stood up and grabbed plates from the kitchen, hoping to have a quick lunch before going back out for the rest of his shift. Once Lucy was settled he grabbed a small portion of chicken and rice. He was about to take a bite of food when he felt Lucy shift her feet underneath his leg. He glanced her way and noticed she was biting her lip. He rose an eyebrow and grinned, “Do you need something babe?”

Lucy sighed and hoped that he would agree without much trouble, “So you know I’m going to be on leave for another couple of weeks, I’m going to be here while you’re at work. All alone.” God she knew she was laying it on thick, but she hoped that it would work for what she wanted, “What do you think about getting a dog?”

Tim felt his jaw drop and his fork clatter as it fell back on his plate. He glanced at Gibson who was trying to hide his grin and looked back at Lucy who was giving him those eyes of her that always had him falling to his knees. He sat his plate down and scratched the back of his neck, wondering where this had come from. He sighed and held out his hand, “Let me see it. You wouldn’t have mentioned it if you didn’t already have a dog in mind.” 

He ignored Lucy’s squeal of excitement as she placed her phone in his hand. He swiped the picture of him and Lucy at a Dodgers game to reveal a German Shepard puppy staring back at him with its large paws and floppy ears. He smiled softly and realized she had him hook, line, and sinker. He sighed as he tried to put up a fight, “Luce, our schedules are hectic; I’m a TO and your trying to be one after the end of the year. We’ll hardly ever be home with him.”

Lucy tried to ignore his very valid point and resorted to other tactics, “ Just look at it as a trial run for when we have kids,” she bit her lip and resorted to begging, “Come on Tim. Please. You won’t have to walk him or anything."

Tim sighed, knowing that eventually he would walk him and feed him and everything else that comes with owning a dog. He knew that he would get attached and love it just like Lucy would. He wasn’t going to tell Lucy that, but he knew he would within seconds of seeing the pup. He sighed as he tried to act annoyed as he begrudgingly agreed. 

Lucy resisted the urge to jump up and grinned, “I’ll text back the owner who is trying to get rid of him. You’ll have to pick him up after your shift though.”

Tim groaned, knowing that it had already begun. It will start with him getting the dog, then he’d have to run to the store to get the food, bowls, toys, crate, and bed. He sighed as he looked at Lucy’s smile and found himself not caring. 

That’s how after his shift he found himself an hour from home crouched down petting a ten week old German Shepard. He glanced in the yard and saw two more pups rolling on the ground playing. He glanced up at the young blonde eyeing him, before standing up and grinning, “My wife said she’d talk to you about one of the pups you have, I assume she’d let you know I was coming.” 

The young woman grinned before glancing at her phone, “Yea, she said you would come today and that she wanted the last boy I have. The others are already spoken for, so the one you got in front of you is the one you can buy.” 

Tim started to nod until the woman mentioned paying. He glanced down at the dog who had flopped on his back, staring up at him expectantly. He sighed and pulled out his money, dreading to hear how much the dog would cost him, “How much is he?”

“$200.00 with paperwork.”

Tim reluctantly handed over two one hundred dollar bills and picked up the pup. As he was getting in the car he placed the pup in the backseat and eyed him wearily, “Don’t make a mess back there pup. I don’t want to have to clean anything tonight when I get you home.”

A soft sigh was the response he got as he pulled away and headed home. He sighed in relief when he picked the pup up with no mess in sight, after pulling in the driveway. He ran his hand along the fluffy fur before shouldering the door open. He glanced around and saw nothing, but darkness. He furrowed his brow, a bit surprised that Lucy dint wait up for him knowing he was bringing the pooch home. He sat the dog down and moved through the house and shouldered the door to their bedroom open. 

His eyes zeroed in on the bed and traced over Lucy’s face. His eyes trailed over her dark hair splayed across the pillow, her soft lips that was pinched into a grimace, even in her sleep. He moved down to her left hand and felt his heart stop for a second as her wedding ring glinted in the dark. He slowly crept over to her and trailed a finger down her smooth cheek. He grinned as her eyes fluttered open to stare at him through the darkness.   
Lucy stared up at Tim in the darkness and tried to smile, despite the searing pain in her side. She pushed herself up and grasped his hand as it moved away from her cheek, “Hey, I tried to stay up, but my side started hurting,” she paused and grinned as sleep left her eyes and excitement took over, “Where is he?”

Tim grinned as he bent down to pick up the pup from the floor. He gently placed him on Lucy’s lap and kept him in place so he wouldn’t step on her side. He watched as Lucy gushed over the pup in her hands and kissed his soft head. He saw the big smile and knew that he would do anything for Lucy, as long as she always smiled that big and bright. He sighed as he reached put a hand and ran it ober the dogs back and scratched behind his ears. 

He rose an eyebrow when Lucy turned to him with bright eyes, “What will we name him?”

Tim thought for a second and grinned, “Boot. We can call him Boot.” 

Lucy glared and shook her head, “No, I’m not calling our dog Boot. Something creative and fun like Max or Remi or Pongo.”

Tim shook his head staring at the dog. He had the coat and markings of a German Shepard, the floppy ears that would point upwards as he got older, the fluffy fur that would grow thick and long. He scratched at the dogs ears again and grinned, “Fine. How about Axel, Dodger, or Zeus?”

Lucy rolled her eyes, “I’m not naming him after a car part or baseball team. I like Zeus.”

Tim sighed and looked down at the dog, “You like Axel pup?”

He watched as the dog didn’t move. He blinked up, sighing, before burrowing his nose deep in Lucy’s blanket. He watched as Lucy stroked the dogs head and smiled, “Do you Like Zeus buddy?”

He watched again as the dog lifted his head and licked Lucy’s hand before burrowing back down in the blankets. Tim rose an eyebrow and shook his head, “I guess Zeus it is.”

Lucy grinned as she snuggled the dog before handing him back to Tim. He placed the pup down on the floor to grab the bed he had bought on the way home. He placed him on it and scratched his ears, “This is your bed buddy.”

Tim looked back at a beaming Lucy and grinned, “He’s not sleeping with us; Zeus has his own bed. I’ve got his food and water bowls in the kitchen. His leash and collar on the counter and a few toys in the corner of the living room.” 

Lucy grinned before closing her eyes, drowsiness suddenly washing over her. She smiled sleepily at Tim and grabbed for his hand and squeezed, “Thank you for going and getting him after your shift today.”

Tim smiled softly at her and sighed, “I’d do anything for you boot; you know that,” he shrugged his shoulders and grinned slyly, “Beside, like you said, it will be good practice for kids someday.”

Lucy felt warm at the mention of kids and smiled as Tim’s southern drawl came out. She blinked and realized that he must be exhausted if she could hear his accent come out; he hides it so well to fit in, in L.A and the busy lifestyle that comes with working in the major city. She grinned again as Tim glanced her way. 

Tim rose an eyebrow and stood to toe off his boots, “What?”

Lucy sighed and shook her head gently, her voice soft in the dim light of their bedroom, “Do you miss it?”

Tim unbuttoned his shirt and tossed it in the hamper before undoing his belt. He glanced up at his wife with innocent eyes, “Miss what?”

Lucy sighed and sank back against the pillows and eyed her husband, “Texas, your mom and dad, the bull riding.” She bit her lip and pushed on, knowing that she was going to touch a sore spot, “the family ranch.”

Tim sighed and sat on his side of the bed and ran a hand through his short hair, “I miss it sometimes, yeah. Nothing beats the crazy adrenaline that L.A brings though. Bull riding is too dangerous for a guy my age these days; it’s dangerous and obnoxiously stupid really. When I was in my early twenties, sure, I loved the thrill. I was only working that until I had enough to pay for college though, so it wasn’t really a thing I had a passion for,” he turned to look at Lucy over his shoulder before slowly crawling towards her and hovered above her, “You on the other hand, I have a love and passion for.”

Lucy grinned despite the obvious change of subject. She ran a hand along his jaw and traced her fingers over his cheek, sighing softly, “I’d like to go visit one day.” 

Tim sighed, pushing back the memories of his teens and early twenties away. He rolled away from Lucy and stared at the ceiling for several minutes before turning back to Lucy with a raised eyebrow, “You’d want to see my crazy southern family on a money pit of a ranch with horses and cows and pastures?”

Lucy shrugged gently before nodding, “It’s a part of your story Tim, of course I want to visit. I know that you enjoy the outdoors and quiet that you can’t find in L.A. You can take the boy out of the country, but not the country out of the boy.”

Tim sighed and ran a hand along his face, “Yea, that’s the problem, I’m not a country boy anymore. I don’t like horses or ranches or risk that comes with that; I prefer my feet firmly planted on the ground in every aspect of life.” 

Lucy scoffed and shook her head, “Being a police officer is just as risky as bull riding or ranching.”

“When I’m being shot at, I can duck and cover. When you’re riding a bull there isn’t an escape.”  
Lucy sighed and nodded, “True.” She ran a hand along Tim’s short hair and grinned, “I can’t picture you with longer hair, cowboy hats, and boots anyway.”

Tim grinned, happy the subject was dropped, and nodded, “Yea those get a bit hot. Especially in the summer.”

Lucy nodded and burrowed into Tim’s side, “I love you. City boy or not.”

Tim grinned and brushed a kiss to Lucy’s forehead before closing his eyes. “Love you.”

Lucy smiled and burrowed a bit deeper into Tim’s side. She ran a finger along his chest and wondered briefly where the scars on his chest came from. She closed her eyes, brushed thoughts of rodeo injuries away, and tried to breath in time with his heartbeat. After a few minutes she found herself slowly drifting off into blissful darkness.


	5. Chapter Five

Lucy blew out a slow breath as she adjusted her uniform top. She smiled softly as her fingers ran over her nameplate. She traced the B slowly, movingly slowly over the rest of the letters before placing her hand over her side, hoping that she wouldn’t have to run after any crazy suspects in the LA streets. She slammed her locker shut and slowly made her way out of the locker room. She ran into Jackson on her way to roll call.

Jackson grinned as his partner in crime made her first appearance at the station in weeks, “Welcome back Lucy. I’ve never been so happy to see you,” he lowered his voice before continuing, “I had to deal with ticket toting Wrigley in the month you’ve been gone.”

Lucy rose an eyebrow and shrugged, “You learn to deal with him.”

Jackson smirked and shook his head, “Come on, look who you’re talking to here. I don’t do traffic tickets; I want action.”

Lucy hummed and took her seat as she slid her phone out. She turned toward Jackson to show him the picture of Zeus. “Tim and I got a little addition on my month of medical leave.” 

Jackson rose an eyebrow and smirked, rubbing his hands together, “You guys having a baby?”

Lucy rolled her eyes shaking her head, “No Jackson, Tim and I are not having a baby. We got a dog.”

Jackson tried to sound excited as he looked on at the picture of Lucy’s puppy. He grinned as he swiped past a picture of Tim cuddling up to the dog on the couch. He passed the phone back to Lucy and grinned, “How did you manage that one? Talking Tim into getting a dog with your crazy schedules.” 

She grinned and batted her eyelashes and Jackson shook his head facing forward as Grey walked into the room. 

Grey scanned the room and nodded slightly as he saw Lucy. He cleared his throat and his deep voice boomed, “First I want to welcome back Officer Bradford from her small vacation,” he paused, nodding in her direction, before continuing, “You have a nice welcome back gift from the public Bradford. We have all hands on deck; downtown LA is ours to patrol today. They have some kind of parade for the fair going on. Horses will be there as well. Any officers know how to handle horses?”

Lucy glanced around the room and eyed Tim who crossed his arms and stayed silent. She rose an eyebrow, knowing that Tim grew up on a ranch and handled horses well into his early twenties. She briefly wondered why he wasn’t saying anything until Grey’s voice boomed through the room again, “Alright I guess we’ll play the matching game. Bradford, Gibson, Lopez, Sanchez, West, and Bradford take downtown where the horses are being groomed and mounted. Everyone else we’ll do a grid work up for the surrounding areas for crowd control and surveillance.”

As the officers began to move through the room Jackson smirked before eyeing Lucy, “You think Tim will be cool with horses?”

Lucy’s mind flashed back to a night when they had just began dating. Tim had revealed that he wasn’t an LA native like she had assumed; he knew the city’s hot spots so well. She had smiled softly as his voice took on a hint of southern drawl as he explained that he grew up on a cattle ranch in Texas and rode bulls in the rodeo to put himself through college. She secretly liked when he called her darlin’ in the Texas twang he hid perfectly. She shook herself when Jackson raised the question again. She nodded as she shook her head that yes Tim would be cool with horses. She sighed as the small group made their way to the garage and gathered up all of the equipment they would need for the shift. 

Tim sighed as he pulled out of the garage and maneuvered the squad car into the busy streets towards the activities downtown. He nervously toyed with his wedding band as he was at a stop light. He ignored Gibson’s questioning gaze as he pulled in behind West and Lopez. He eyed the crowded streets before pushing open the door, eyeing Gibson as he went. 

He went around to the trunk and popped it open as he handed an equipment bag to his rookie, “Put the heavy duty vest on Gibson. Who knows what’s going to happen today with the crazy crowd; make sure you have enough ammunition in case we have a shootout; and make sure you have an extra can of pepper spray. We might need it.” 

Gibson nodded as he tightened up his vest and double checked that he had what his TO mentioned. He glanced around and noticed Lucy doing the same from the other car. He turned back to Bradford with a raised eyebrow, “How do you relax knowing your wife is in potential danger just like you, every single day?”

Tim halted his movements for a split second and glanced over at Lucy before slamming the trunk, glaring at Gibson as it shut with a bang, “I don’t.” 

Tim marched over to Lucy, West, Lopez and Sanchez before surveying the crowd. He turned back to the small group and rose his voice above the noise, “I think we can split up with our partners and do crowd control for a bit. Officers from other divisions are here, so if we need to communicate use our radios and call signs.”

The group nodded before splitting up for the morning. Tim, Gibson, West, and Lucy was walking the outer perimeter where some of the horse trailers were parked when a loud commotion tore through the crowd. Tim scanned the area and realized it was a frightened horse trying to break from the loud crowds. On instinct, from years of horse wrangling on his family ranch, Tim dove into the crowd and chased the horse until he was in reach of the reigns. He jerked them so that he was face to face with the large animal. He quickly realized he was saddled, so with muscle memory, he mounted the horse quickly. He applied the right amount of pressure in the right spots and steered the horse away from the crowd. 

When they were by the horse trailers he soothed the large horse with a stroke of its mane. His voice soft, taking on a southern drawl, “It’s alright darlin’, you’re okay sweetheart,” He paused as his fellow officers slowly came up to him, but turned back to the horse, “Ssshhh. It’s alright. You just have to stand right here with me.”

Jackson’s eyes were wide as he took in Tim on the horse. He shook his head when he heard Tim take on a southern drawl. He shook his head before stepping forward, “We called the director and they have a list of all the horses in the parade; they’re trying to contact the owners now so they can get the horse on their trailer.”

Tim nodded as he continued to sooth the horse. He eyed Lucy who was watching him with bright eyes. He inwardly groaned, knowing that seeing him on a horse would bring up his family and his hometown. He shoved that thought away as Jackson crept closer. 

“Step back West, you’ll only spook her and we don’t need that.” 

He watched as Jackson stepped back and quickly made sure no one else was around. Tim was broken out of his thoughts as a small group of men come forward as if they knew the horse. He took in the men and did a double take as a familiar man stepped forward. He watched as the man tipped his hat at Lucy and Angela before stepping up to the horse. His sun kissed hand stroked the mane and his eyes traveled up and widened when they locked onto Tim. 

His southern drawl sounded foreign in the city streets of LA, “Are you Timothy Bradford?”

Tim rattled his brain and tried to place the face to the voice, but came up empty. He shook his head and rose an eyebrow, “Whose asking?” 

The man laughed and shook his head, as if amused by his response and grinned up at him, “Still as snappy as ever, must work really hard to hide the southern roots kid,” he paused and rose an eyebrow, smirking up at Tim before continuing, “I know I’ve aged a bit since you saw me last, but damn kid I can’t be that unrecognizable to ya; Jimmy Ackers, your daddy’s neighbor.” 

Tim let his eyes rake over the older man’s face and suddenly he remembered him from his childhood. He laughed lowly before nodding, “Jimmy. I’m surprised to see you up here in LA,” suddenly Tim’s mind flashed to his mom and dad and he sat up straighter on the horse, “Nothing’s wrong down home is there?”

Jimmy quickly reassured Tim that everything was fine before eyeing him a bit more critically. He took notice of the wedding ring and smirked, “I see you finally settled down,” he laughed before raising an eyebrow, “a bit surprising considering everything. You once said you’d much rather be wild and free. Marriage wouldn’t be in the cards for you; only thing you wanted was that damn rodeo.”

Tim tightened his grip on the reigns of the horse and breathed out slowly, “Things change, Jimmy,” he breathed out again and motioned down to the horse, “I can take your horse to your trailer if you want, I’ve got her calmed down enough.”

Jimmy scratched at the stubble on his chin and grinned, “I bet you do. Just bring her on this way and you can help me load her in the back.”

Tim nodded as he clicked his tongue, ignoring Lucy, Jackson, and Angela as he went. He trusted them to handle the crowds until he got back. As he followed Jimmy across the parking lot towards the horse trailers his mind wondered to home. He inhaled the scent of horses and his mind went to his old barn where he used to groom his old horse Ranger; the feel of hay on his hands; his mom’s tea and homemade cooking. His mind briefly flashed to the color red and the sounds of bulls snorting in the pens. He shook the thought as he slid off the horses back and handed the reigns to the owner. He stood and watched the horse get loaded in the trailer before he cleared his throat. 

He was surprised to be pulled into a hug by the older man. He hugged him back and inhaled the comforting scent of horses and hay. He pulled back and grinned, his voice taking on a southern drawl on its own accord, “It’s really good to see ya Jimmy, even if it is a bit surprising.”

Jimmy chuckled and ran a hand through his long gray hair, “Yea well, we have a horse show and we thought we’d make a bit of a trip out of everything; figured we’d swing up in the big city before making our way back down towards the south.”

Tim nodded, breathing in again, “Anything new down home?”

A chuckle was his response, “Naw. Same old ranching town, same old people, doing the same old thing that’s been done for years.”

“Ranching.”

Jimmy chuckled again, “That’s right. I’m glad to see you still remember something from home. You and your city lifestyle now.”

Tim pursed his lips and his lips moved to a frown. He sighed and ran a hand through his short hair, “After the rodeo and what happened with Izzy, I had to leave to get over it. I couldn’t look at mom and dad and pretend everything was okay Jimmy; it wasn’t.” 

Jimmy grunted before his eyes moved behind Tim. His lips curled into a sad smile, “Does your wife know about the rodeo and why you really left home? Izzy?”

Tim shook his head, “She knows about the rodeo for the most part,” he suddenly felt his chest constrict at the thought of home, “I haven’t told her about Izzy; it happened years ago. I’m not some ranch hand or some cowboy Jimmy. That part of me is gone.”

Jimmy stared at the tall man that he watched grow up and grimaced. Even hundreds of miles away, the ghosts of his past haunted him. He shook his head and placed a hand on Tim’s shoulder, “You need honesty in a marriage Tim; even if it’s painful to relive. You need to bring your wife home; give her your whole story. Not just the parts from LA.” 

Tim sighed and shook his head. He opened his mouth, but was cut off by his radio crackling to life. He listened as Lucy’s voice blasted through asking for assistance. He nodded to Jimmy, his voice taking on a rough edge, “Tell mom and dad I say hello.” 

Jimmy sighed before checking the back of the trailer was locked, his voice carrying out over the distance between them, “Sure thing kid.”

Tim sighed as he ran off, from his past and towards Lucy in the crazy crowd. After a few maneuvers and loud commands they had the crowd back under control. 

Tim surveyed the area across the parking lot and his eyes took in Jimmy leaning against his trailer. He sighed as he felt his eyes on him, burning holes in the back of his head. He placed a hand on Lucy and gently pushed her towards the parking lot where their cruisers were. He was pulled out of his thoughts at Lucy’s questioning gaze. 

Her voice was soft in the space around them, “That guy you helped with the horse, how do you know him?”

Tim sighed, running a hand through his hair, dreading the discussion, “He was my neighbor growing up. He was the kind old man that all the kids went to for candy during Sunday services; the old man who knows how to fix almost anything when it comes to farms or ranches.”

Lucy grinned, happy for the opening into Tim’s life before LA, “What is he doing all the way up here in LA?”

Tim shrugged, “Horse show I guess; I didn’t ask much,” Tim breathed in deep, suddenly feeling a bit homesick for the first time in years. He shoved it off as seeing someone from home for the first time in years. He took a deep breath, knowing that he might regret what he was about to say, but knowing if he didn’t do it now, he never would, “When we get back at the station maybe we could put in for some vacation.”

Lucy rose an eyebrow and grinned, knowing what Tim was about to say, “What would we be doing?”

Jimmy’s words sounded in his mind as he smiled softly, his voice sliding into a drawl, “Taking ya home to meet my family.”

Lucy grinned, suddenly excited to get away from the city, “As long as you talk like that while we’re visiting, I may not want to come back home.”

Tim grinned, suddenly picturing Lucy on the back of a horse clinging to him tight as he took her across his family property. He pulled Lucy into a hug and inhaled her soft scent, not wanting to let go. His voice took on a rough edge as he locked eyes with her, “While we’re there, I have a few things I want to show you,” his mind flashed to Izzy and his parents, “Some of it isn’t so pretty, Lucy. You need to remember that I had a life before moving to LA.”

Lucy smiled sadly and placed her hand on his cheek, sensing that he needed a bit of reassurance, “We all have a past Tim. Some of us it’s a bit darker than others,” she ran her fingers down his jaw and let her fingers run down his shoulders, towards his hands, gripping them in her own, “Its okay Tim. Whatever you want to tell me, won’t change the fact that I love you, so much.” 

Tim sighed, grateful for a bit of reassurance, “Remember that when I bring you home.”

Lucy nodded, reached up on her toes to kiss his cheek. Suddenly, she couldn’t wait to get back to the station.


	6. Chapter Six

Lucy licked her lips as she eyed her ice cream cone. She glanced at Jackson who was leaning back in the plastic chair, eating his sandwich slowly. She sighed as she glanced at the table next to them with longing. She watched as Tim shoved a couple of fries in his mouth before glancing up at her with a small grin. She glanced down at her phone to check the time and sighed in relief when she saw that the shift was close to being done. 

She grinned at Jackson who rose an eyebrow questioningly, “What’s got you so excited?”

Lucy glanced at Tim who was still eating fries and talking to Lopez before turning back to Jackson, “Me and Tim are taking a week vacation away from LA. Next week actually.” 

Jackson grinned and leaned back in his chair, “Ah, a whole week from the city. Where are you guys going to venture off to?”

Lucy grinned and leaned back, taking a sip of her chocolate shake, “We’re flying down into San Antonio, Texas Sunday and coming home early next Saturday. It will give us a day or so to rest up from our flight.”

Jackson nodded and toyed with his cup before grinning, “You guys taking Zeus with you?”

Lucy grinned as she sat down her cup, “We were going to bring him with us, but Tim isn’t too fond of putting him through that stress unless we have to. We’re thinking of boarding him for the week.”

Jackson grinned and rose an eyebrow at Lucy questioningly, “So Tim is attached to the pup now?”

Lucy took a quick glance at Tim, who was saying something funny to Angela, and turned back to Jackson with a smug smile, “Of course he is. We didn’t have Zeus for a week and he had him snuggled in between the two of us at night.”

Jackson tipped his chair back as he laughed. It was hard to picture Tim Bradford being cute and soft with puppies. Although he did seem to soften up with anything concerning Lucy, so he could picture it a bit. “You know if you guys don’t want to board him with strangers, me and Gino could keep him for the week.”

Lucy glanced at Jackson and grinned, “Would you?”

Jackson grinned and nodded, waving his phone in her face, “I’ll even send update pictures once a day or so. That way you won’t worry about him.”

Lucy grinned and nodded, knowing that even though Tim didn’t say anything about it, he was nervous to leave his pet in the hands of strangers. She glanced at Tim and decided for them, knowing that he wouldn’t mind, “As long as you walk him once a day, give him snuggles, and love him like he was yours, then yes you can watch him for us. Tim won’t openly admit it, but he loves that dog and if anything would happen to Zeus in someone else’s care, he would find a way to slap charges on the person responsible for animal cruelty.” 

Jackson rose an eyebrow, knowing that if he wanted to be, Tim Bradford could be as ruthless as any criminal. He nodded, his voice reassuring as he spoke, “You won’t have to worry about anything happening with me. We’ll treat him like our own.” 

Lucy was about to comment when her radio crackled to life, alerting them of a public disturbance. She turned to Tim briefly, to see him nod at her, as if to tell her to be careful, before going to the job at hand. 

Hours later when she came home, she moved quickly to the shower. She sighed happily as she stood underneath the hot water. She moaned softly as her tense shoulders began to loosen and her tired body began to relax. After her hands began to shrivel from the water she climbed out and dried off. Looking through the dresser she found one of Tim’s worn Dodger shirts and yoga pants. She threw her hair up in a ponytail and padded out to the living room where Zeus was waiting patiently. 

She knelt down and stroked his soft fur before scratching behind his ears, “You want to go out buddy?”

Zeus jumped up, wagging his tail excitedly as he clumsily made his way to the door. Lucy grinned as she slipped on her shoes and grabbed her phone and the leash from the coat hook. She clipped him on and slowly made her way outside for a short walk. She breathed in the fresh air as she made her way to the park down the street. Finding a bench underneath a large tree she sat down to let Zeus take a break. Out of habit from her job she scanned the park quickly and smiled softly as she zeroed in on a little boy clinging to his mother’s hand as he toddled over to the swings. 

The little boy laughed as his mom pushed him through the air. His excitement and cries of joy caused Lucy to grin as her mind wondered to someplace in the not so distant future when she would be pushing a little boy or little girl in a swing. She hoped that her baby would have Tim’s eyes. She sighed, suddenly feeling lonely. She was brought out of her thoughts as Zeus began to whine and paw at her knee. She glanced down and grinned as she stood up and scratched behind his ears.  
Her voice was soft in the wind, “Ready to go back home boy?”

Her response was a happy bark. As she began to move towards the park entrance she glanced back over her shoulder and smiled softly at the mother son duo. Maybe someday that would be her, but for now she grinned back down at Zeus and led him home. 

Tim sighed as he shouldered open the apartment door, suddenly feeling drained after the long shift. He glanced around and noticed that Lucy and Zeus were nowhere to be found. He figured that they were on a quick walk before packing bags for their vacation. 

As thoughts of vacation flitted across Tim’s mind, a small feeling of dread seemed to settle in the pit of stomach. He breathed out, needing to get his mind off going back home. He made his way into the bedroom and grabbed his luggage bag to try and pack some of his things. He went into the bathroom and rummaged through the drawers, trying to grab the smaller stuff first. He was grabbing the toothpaste when he saw a pink box shoved in the back corner. He stopped to listen for Lucy and breathed out slowly when the apartment remained still. With shaky hands he grabbed at the box and flipped it over. His heartrate ticked up when he saw that it was a pregnancy test. He shook it and was a bit disappointed when it wasn’t empty, but then thought maybe she hadn’t had a chance to take it yet. His heart pumped a bit faster at even the thought of Lucy being pregnant. His mind flashed with visions of a little girl with Lucy’s eyes and smile and of a boy with his hair and rowdy streak. He jumped when he heard a loud bark, alerting him that Lucy and Zeus were home. He shoved the test back where it was and slowly shut the drawer before going back to the bed with some toiletries for the week.

He was zipping up his smaller bag when Lucy came through the door, Zeus trailing close behind her. He grinned at her as he took in her small frame donning one of his Dodgers shirts. He grinned as he made his way towards her and gently pushed her against the doorframe. He leaned down to press his lips to hers and sucked in a quick breath as her small hands moved up his biceps, stopping to loop her arms around his neck. 

She breathed in his scent of woods and earth, grinning as she ran her fingers through his short hair, “I should take Zeus out more often if I get kisses like that when I come home.”

Tim smirked and shrugged, “I missed you today; long day dealing with Gibson.”

Lucy sighed, knowing that Tim loved being a cop, even on the longer days. Hearing some of Tim’s TO stories from before her time and after he had finished training her, made her glad that she was partnered with Jackson every day. Thinking of Jackson made Lucy think of Zeus and their vacation. 

“Mentioning of long days today, I talked with Jackson. He practically begged to take Zeus next week.” 

Tim glanced down at the large pup who was rolling on the floor next to his bed. He grinned as the large puppy got to his feet and pounced on one of his toys, making it squeak. He grinned as he watched Zeus play, suddenly not wanting to leave the dog, but not trusting that the airline staff would do things properly. He glanced to Lucy and knew that she preferred having him stay behind for the week with friends they trusted. 

He nodded and glanced back down to the dog and smiled, “Yea that sounds like a good idea. I don’t really want our dog in an airplane, not knowing how he’ll handle things.”

“I’ll text Jackson and let him know he can pick up Zeus tomorrow night so he doesn’t have to get up super early to meet us Sunday.”

Tim nodded as he went back to packing his bags. An hour later their bags were by the front door and they were stretched out on the couch watching a Dodgers game. Tim glanced down at Lucy as she was flipping through her current book. He watched as her brown eyes moved over the page quickly; wondering if she had always read that quickly. He shook himself from his thoughts as the commercials on the TV switched back to the game. He suddenly found himself trying to stay awake; the last thing he remembers was that the Dodgers were losing. 

Tim shifted in his seat Sunday morning; the airplane seat was just as uncomfortable as he remembered all those years ago. He glanced over at Lucy, who was looking excitedly outside at the clouds. He smiled softly and wondered briefly if their kids would one day have her excitement. He watched Lucy for a few more minutes before turning back to his phone. He closed his eyes briefly before being shaken awake by Lucy grinning excitedly at him. 

“We’re about ready to land; the captain said we had to put our seatbelts back on.”

Tim groaned and ran a hand through his hair; he noticed it was getting a bit too long. He grinned at Lucy as he snapped on his seatbelt and put his seat in the right position. He bounced his leg as the plane began its descent into a place that Tim had left behind years ago. 

They quickly moved to baggage claim and moved through the airport towards the car rental office. Tim sighed in relief as he was handed keys to a newer Ford Mustang. He grinned as he made his way towards the car and put their luggage in the small trunk. He grinned as he opened the door for Lucy, tossing her a wink as he shut the door. As he slid in, he took notice of the dark leather seats, the touch screen on the dash, and the sleek radio. He rolled the windows down to let in the hot Texas air, before revving up the car and pulling out of the large parking lot. Tim slid on his sunglasses that he had perched on top of his head as the hot sun glared down through the windshield. He sighed as he fiddled with the radio, trying to find something that would distract him. He huffed when nothing seemed to get his interest. 

His eyes slid to Lucy who was looking excitedly out the window. He grinned, she used to do that when he was her TO. It used to drive him crazy, but now he just found it cute. He cleared his throat before breaking her away from her sightseeing, “There’s nothing out there boot. Just dessert, ranches, and small towns.”

Lucy rose an eyebrow, her voice taking on a defensive edge, “Your childhood home is out there, somewhere. Besides, you might have grown up in the middle of nowhere, but I haven’t ever left LA.” 

Tim sighed, vowing to change Lucy’s travel experience in the coming years. He shook his head and grinned, “Trust me, you aren’t missing anything here. I can promise you that.”

Lucy sighed, “Don’t be such a grouch.” 

Tim grinned and rose an eyebrow, “I won’t be a grouch about coming home, if you promise not to psychoanalyze me the whole week.”

He watched Lucy open her mouth trying to protest; he knew she couldn’t do it. It wasn’t in her nature to just ignore people’s behavior and attitudes in the environment around them. Truthfully, it was a big part of why she was such a damn good cop. Other than the fact he had been the one to train her. 

Lucy huffed, crossing her arms, “Fine, I’ll try, but that doesn’t mean I’m just going to ignore your feelings about being home.”

Tim grinned, he couldn’t expect anything less from his wife, “Fine.” 

Lucy went back to watching the trees until she noticed they were turning onto an old dirt road. She perked up a bit more when she noticed it was getting more secluded as they went further down the road. She noticed old houses, horses, and cattle were the only thing to see. Suddenly they were turning into a driveway lined with fences. She noticed the large iron sign with a simple B embossed on a horse hanging high in the air as they moved slowly down the drive way. She grinned at the horses and cattle grazing, wondering if they could ride some horses while they were visiting. Her eyes swung forward and she felt her jaw drop at the size of the farm house staring back at her. 

The old white house consisted of two stories with a large wrap around porch, overlooking the land it was built on. Lucy shifted in her seat and turned to Tim with a small smile. She took in his rough jaw, bright eyes, and was pleased to see he had a tiny smile on his face. She grinned as they slowed to a stop in the front of the home. She sat in the silent car as she watched Tim collect himself. 

At seeing his old home after so long, Tim was suddenly taken back by how much he had missed the old place. He stared out the window and let his eyes drink in the old white exterior he helped paint one hot summer; the burgundy shutters he had to help repair after hitting them one too many times with a baseball; and the old wrap around porch he had his first kiss on. He grinned as the sights and the smells came flooding back. He turned to Lucy with a grin and motioned to get out of the car. He blew out a breath as he grabbed their bags from the back and moved slowly towards the porch. 

He had his hand on the old door handle when it swung open quickly to reveal an older woman with dark brown hair streaked with a bit of gray. He grinned as he dropped the luggage to the floor and wrapped his arm around the smaller woman, his voice thick with emotion, “Hi mom.”


	7. Chapter Seven

Lucy watched silently as Tim wrapped his arms around an older woman, hugging her tightly for several minutes. She watched as they pulled apart and the older woman glance her way with kind eyes and a gentle smile. Lucy felt her heart pound when Tim glanced her way with an encouraging grin. She sucked in a breath as he held his hand out for her to take.

She smiled as she approached, taking Tim's hand and gripping it like a life line. Tim's voice was gentle and hopeful as he introduced her to his mother, "Mom, this is my wife Lucy," he turned kind eyes to her and smiled softly, "Lucy, this is my mother Sandra."

Lucy grinned and stuck out her hand for her mother-in-law to shake, but was surprised when she was pulled into a bone crushing hug. Her southern accent heavy and her embrace welcoming, "Nonsense with the handshakes dear, we're family after all," she pulled back and took in the woman who had captured her son's heart and smiled, "It's nice to finally put a beautiful face to the name."

Lucy grinned and glanced at Tim before turning back to his mom, "It's nice to finally meet you too."

Sandra glanced between the couple and motioned for them to come inside. Tim breathed in deep and stepped into his childhood home for the first time in almost ten years. He looked around the foyer and grinned when he noticed that nothing much had changed. The coatrack he had made in middle school still hung on the wall: the same family pictures told the same story to any visitor that walked through the halls. Tim slowly made his way up the stairs into his old bedroom to place their luggage at the foot of the bed. He felt Lucy behind him stand hesitantly in the doorway.

Lucy scanned Tim's old room with interest. She grinned at the baseball and football trophies lining the shelves, the old baseball cap hanging on the bedpost, and the old football jersey hanging on the wall. She slowly moved into the room and began circling it slowly, wanting to take it all in. She smiled gently at the pictures on the dresser: Tim dressed in a baseball uniform, his longer hair peeking out from underneath his ball cap; His wide grin as he stood next to a bullpen, his black cowboy hat dangling from his relaxed grip. She stopped at a picture of Tim dressed in jeans and a flannel shirt standing next to a pretty blonde, not too much younger then him. She had eyes that matched Tim's, her hair hung in loose curls with flowers in her hair; they both were grinning into the camera as the girls head leaned on Tim's shoulder.

Lucy picked it up before turning to Tim with a small smile, her mind already coming up with scenerios of first loves and serious relationships. She smiled softly as she asked about the girl in the picture, "First love?"

She was surprised to see Tim blink quickly as if trying to push back tears. She bit her lip as she placed the frame where she found it. She shook her head and moved to run her fingers through Tim's hair, "Never mind."

Tim moved them to the low bed and sat down, bringing Lucy with him. He grinned as she moved to sit on his lap, but his eyes moved to the dresser on their own accord. He sighed, resting his head on Lucy's shoulder, his voice soft in the large room, "It's my sister Elizabeth; we all called her Izzy, or at least I did," he gave a low chuckle before continuing, "She absolutely hated it."

Lucy sucked in a breath, wanting to tread carefully, "What happened to her?"

Tim sighed, knowing that this question would come up and he'd have to tell her. He tried to ignore the flashbacks and breathed in deep as he turned sad eyes to Lucy, "She was involved in a car accident fifteen years ago. She had just turned sixteen; she was new at driving and didn't know the back roads too well yet."

Lucy blinked quickly and had a feeling there was more to the story, but didn't want to push the narrative too much. She ran her fingers through Tim's short hair, trying to silently let him know that she was there. They sat in silence until there was a soft knock on the doorframe. They both turned to see Sandra in the doorway.

Tim closed his eyes briefly and buried his head in Lucy's hair before turning to his mom with a grin, "Just telling Lucy about my days as an athlete."

Sandra grinned and shook her head, "I'd rather hear about those days then that danged rodeo circuit you was involved with."

Lucy rose an eyebrow at her mother-in-law's distaste for the rodeo and turned back to Tim. He grinned as he gently pushed her off his lap to stand, "The rodeo was fun, mom."

"I bet it was with all those awards you got with it, but the last run nearly got you killed."

He sighed, not wanting to tell Lucy everything in one day so he tried to grin and change the subject, "Good thing I'm just a cop now; no chance of bull horns to the chest. Or any other vital organ."

Sandra just rose an eyebrow before shaking her head, "I put dinner on the stove about an hour ago, and it should be ready soon."

Tim watched as his mom walked away and sighed before turned to glance at Lucy, "She hated the rodeo."

Lucy tried to put herself in Sandra's shoes and felt fear clench her chest when she thought of her future kids getting involved in something dangerous. She shook her head and rose an eyebrow, "She's your mom; of course she's going to hate something that could potentially kill you."

Tim grunted before slowly making his way downstairs into the dining room. His mouth began watering as the smells of homemade cooking filled his senses; he had a weakness for his mom's noodles and bread. He slowly made his way into the kitchen and eyed his mom grabbing a large pitcher of sweet tea. He reached out to take it with a small grin, "I'll take the tea to the table."

He ignored his mom's quiet laugh as he sat the pitcher in the middle of the table. He moved back to the kitchen and glanced around. He smiled at the chicken décor, thinking about how 'country' it was. He cleared his throat and leaned against the door jam, feeling Lucy behind him quietly. He glanced around again before his voice broke the silence, "Is dad going to be home anytime soon?"

His mom sighed as she shook her head, "You know your father, Tim. Unless all the cattle and horses are counted for, he won't be home. You know how stubborn he is."

Lucy giggled and rose an eyebrow in Tim's direction, her voice teasing as she glanced his way, "That explains where your stubborn streak comes from."

Sandra grinned at her new daughter and nodded, her thick southern accent joyful at her son's expense, "You guessed right, Tim and his father are one in the same: both stubborn and straight laced. At least they both have good intentions and big hearts."

Tim rolled his eyes, before turning to Lucy to glare playfully, "Watch it, boot. I can still make you do pushups."

Lucy rolled her eyes, "You're not my TO, so you can't make me do anything."

Their quiet laughter was interrupted by the door to the back porch opening with a loud creak. The turned to see a tall man with gray hair and a thick mustache swoop down to give Sandra a kiss on the cheek. He turned his eyes to Tim with a quiet smile. Lucy noticed that Tim and the newcomer were about the same height and had the same eyes. She watched as the two men embraced quickly before turning to Lucy.

She grinned as Tim motioned to her with a smile, "Dad this is my wife Lucy; Lucy this is my dad, Henry."

Lucy was enveloped in a gentle hug and surrounded by a deep voice, "It's nice to finally meet you, Lucy."

She grinned and nodded, "You too, Henry."

Tim watched and rose an eyebrow as his dad hugged his wife. He glanced at his mom with a raised eyebrow, wondering why his dad was being so welcoming to someone he hadn't met before. She shrugged and turned back to the stove to turn it off.

After the food was served and everyone was settled around the dining room table, Henry glanced at his son with a grin, his voice deep and curious as he addressed his son, "So, tell me Timothy, what's brought you home after all these years? Finally tired of the big city?"

Tim cringed; he hated it when his dad called him 'Timothy'. He smiled and glanced between him mom and Lucy, finally directing his gaze to his dad, "I figured it was time to show Lucy where I came from," he shrugged and glanced at his mom with kind eyes, "I finally took time off work and I missed home too."

A small grunt was his response before Henry turned to Lucy with a small smile, "How did you two meet?"

Lucy slid her eyes to Tim briefly before grinning at his dad, "I met him through work actually."

Henry grinned with a raised eyebrow, "Ah, I like a woman who knows how to shoot a gun," he turned to Tim with a nod, "I think I like her."

Tim rolled his eyes and took a drink of his tea. He sighed as he sat through dinner, Lucy learning of his childhood antics through his parents. He grinned when his dad mentioned his old horse Blaze and all of the adventures they had together; from learning how to ride a horse to becoming a ranch hand for his dad. He had learned discipline and patience with the old horse, he had taught Izzy how to ride on Blaze. His smile slid off as he thought of his baby sister. He felt a stab in his chest when he thought of how much Lucy reminded him of Izzy. Both strong willed, stubborn, and fierce fighters.

He shook the thought of Izzy from his mind as he felt Lucy reach for his hand under the table. He grinned at her before turning to his mom with hopeful eyes, wanting desperately to speed up the dinner so he could show Lucy around the property, "Please tell me you made cherry pie."

His response was his mom placing a steaming pie in the center of the table.

After dessert he watched as Lucy and his mom stood at the sink, chatting and cleaning the dishes. He glanced at his dad before tidying up the dinner table. He was tossing the last bit of trash away when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He met eyes that mirrored his own and glanced to the back door. He glanced back at Lucy still chatting and laughing at something his mom said before following his dad outside.

He took a seat on the top step of the porch as his dad leaned against the banister. His deep voice approving for once, "I really like her Tim; she seems feisty as hell," he paused as he glanced down at the wood underneath his feet before glancing back up at his son, "My only wish is that you would have came home sooner; ten years is too long. I know that you call weekly, but still, it's not enough."

Tim glanced out across the field and suddenly wondered why he stayed away so long. As he sat on the porch with his dad he made a promise to come home more. He watched the sun sink low in the sky, casting colors and shadows across the land he used to call home. He breathed in the clean air and tilted his head back, gazing at the trees.

His dad took a seat next to him and fiddled with the glass bottle in his hands before his deep voice broke the comfortable silence, "Tell me a bit more about Lucy: how'd you meet through your work? Did you just bump into her one day and say “oh god, I’m in love with this woman? Where’s she from?"

Tim chuckled low as he thought of Lucy and how to describe her. He rubbed a hand on the back of his neck before giving his dad the long version of how he and Lucy met; how she was a city girl born and raised; how she had a stubborn streak a mile wide; and how she slowly cracked away at his walls by her infectious optimism and kind heart. He blew out a breath when he was done and smiled softly when his dad nodded his head, an easy grin gracing his face.

"You sound like a school girl when you talk about her."

Tim shook his head and shrugged, "What can I say? She still has that effect on me, even after all this time."

A low hum was his response as his dad grinned and walked back in the house. Tim sat on the porch until the sun disappeared behind the trees, his ideas of showing Lucy the property on hold until morning. In his head he outlined the week and planned to take Lucy camping a night and take her to the rodeo at least once while they were in Texas. He glanced up at the stars that he hardly saw in LA and grinned, happy for once to be home.

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave comments to share your thoughts, constructive criticisms, or ideas with me.


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